1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel apparatus for adjusting the inside pressure of bubble for producing a tubular film of thermoplastic plastics in a stabilized manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For producing tubular films in general according to an inflation process, various processes have been known in order to keep their flattened widths at constant values. For example, there is a process in which the size of an inflated bubble or its flattened width is automatically detected and the amount of gas (mainly air) is automatically adjusted according to the result obtained, and this process is used commonly in most of cases. Further, for example, a method is also known in which a cylinder for regulating the inner diameter of a bubble is provided inside the bubble. According to the former process, however, it is the present status that owing to a lag of actuation or intermittent actuations in response to detection, the inside pressure of a bubble fluctuates in the strict sense. Particularly, in case of films having a narrow width, this phenomenon appears more, and further in case of thicker films of 0.1 mm or more, since the upper and lower film parts at the creases formed on both the ends of flattened film obtained by means of rolls after stretching, do not adhere closely to each other, gas inside a bubble leaks continuously. On this account, it is preferable to use a process in which gas is continuously supplemented. Further, according to the latter process, the width of films is maintained at constant values but flaws are created by the contact with a regulating cylinder inside a bubble and exert a serious bad influence upon the quality of films. Thus their usage is considerably limited. Since these problems greatly injure the optical characteristic properties and the stability of dimensional accuracy of raw films for producing biaxially oriented polypropylene films, the above-mentioned well-known processes are not practically useful.
An object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing stabilized tubular films with extremely small fluctuation of flat width, by overcoming completely the above-mentioned drawbacks. In producing inflation films without any cylindrical body for regulating an inside diameter, the diameter of a bubble is determined by the pressure balance between the gas inside a bubble and the gas or liquid outside a cylindrical body. More concretely, the bubble is more inflated with increase of the pressure inside the bubble, and deflated with decrease thereof. Accordingly, the inside pressure and the inflation state of the bubble can be maintained at a constant state by discharging or charging continuously and rapidly the gas inside the bubble which increases or decreases by some reason or others. In general, the pressure loss of a gas flowing through the inside of a pipe is proportional to the square of the flow amount of that gas. When the variation of flow amount relative to a constant flow amount is extremely small as compared with the original flow amount, the variation of pressure loss is also extremely small.
We have paid attention to the above-mentioned fact and completed an apparatus of the present invention as a device which is added in order to discharge or charge immediately and continuously the gas inside a bubble.